Saturday, July 24, 2010

It's time again to steal inspiration from the headlines (and anything else I've come across this week)!

In Chennai, India, a group of criminals run an amazing long con: they set up their own fake police station. I think a lot of GMs (myself included) underestimate exactly how much people will be able to believe. Would you let your players get away with something like this?

Lombroso claimed that certain features indicated particular types of criminal…[His] technique was widely used in Europe until the 1930s. Prosecuting lawyers could claim that a flattened nose was a scientifically proven sign of a thief, thus strengthening their case.

Last, Telecanter dug up this description of an amazing heresy: human sacrifices offered up to St. Vitus, portrayed as a four-headed man. Too often, GMs don't consider how religions in their games can change or mutate over time, sometimes drastically.

I've actually got one more story—the largest star ever discovered—but I'm saving that oen for a full-on article. Stay tuned!